The Joy of Forgiveness

I am reminded of that warm Sunday in January when I gave my life to the Lord. I felt so empty, so filthy from the devastation caused by my sinful life, that I never imagined there could be a God who would forgive me. Shame tormented me, my pride crumbled in His presence, and the tears held back by my false and confused understanding of my need clouded my vision and drenched my inner being. Before me lay the most difficult of tasks, the most difficult one: to confess my sins, sincerely repent, and feel certain of God’s willingness to forgive me. Could it be possible? Would I once again feel peace in my heart and… be happy?

Years ago, I wrote in my personal testimony: And the Lord appeared to me when I least expected it. With a single breath, He shook the foundation of a pedestal I had built on swampy, dangerous, shifting, and barren ground…and on one of the many “eyeless” early mornings in which I died during those days, He took me in His arms, and I was able to utter to Him a desperate, broken, hopeful, and tearful prayer…

That prayer in an “eyeless” early morning—because insomnia was consuming me—was my confession, the first resounding confession of my sins, calling each one by name. My spirit poured itself out in a thousand groans, crying out for forgiveness. It was a howl of repentance.

The answer came an hour after I had said to the Lord: Yes, I need You, Jesus! The light of the Lord blinded me and struck me down—as it blinded Saul on the road to Damascus. It was a powerful light of peace and infinite bliss that I could not comprehend. The feeling of restoration, the end of the torments embodied in sin, began to rebuild a harried and tainted existence, turning my lament into joy.

Brother and sister reading this reflection, this is the recurring theme in the Psalms called penitential because they are songs of confession of sins and of God’s promises of restoration and forgiveness. They are Psalms 6, 14, 31, 32, 38, 41, 51, 102, 130, and 143. They remind us how vulnerable we are and how easy it is to disrupt our relationship with God through disobedience. It is also the recurring theme in your life and mine. Unconfessed sin snatches away our joy, leading us time and again to face affliction, to sink into sorrow, and to feel miserable. You and I can have a joyful experience if we give Him our transgression, our iniquity, the sin that now stands before us and takes away the joy of the Lord. God made an irreversible covenant with us by sending Christ to die on the cross and bear all the sins of the world so that today His grace might abound. He is forgiving by nature, merciful in His essence, and He wants to teach us the paths we should walk so that we do not sin. We are blessed when we know that we are forgiven.

If the burden of sin not confessed to God—to Him alone—torments you; if the joy you once displayed as a testimony to a pleasant and abundant life in Christ is no longer with you, surrender your heart once again to your Lord and tell Him what you feel; tell Him as David did: I acknowledged my sin to You, and I did not conceal my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”; and You forgave the guilt of my sin (Psalm 32:5).

If you do not know the Lord, what a beautiful opportunity to make things right with your Creator! You need no candles, no flowers, no strange banners, no aromatic incense, and no little stones for casting spells. Only your heart! The Lord knows it and wants you to give it to Him, for after all, it belongs to Him. When you confess your sin and repent, the light of the forgiving Christ will flood you with forgiveness; you will experience the joy of salvation and will no longer be a slave and captive to evil; your life will gain perspective and true direction, and the Lord of mercy will allow you to see His glory. The bliss of a forgiven life is the purest balm, bringing joy and peace to the heart. May God bless you!

For deeper reflection: The Bliss of a Forgiven Life, a sermon by Dr. Roberto Miranda.